Planet Paws, a Web and social media-based resource on pet health, calls rawhide the most dangerous pet chew ever. Almost two years ago, Planet Paws founder, Rodney Habib, a pet nutrition blogger, ran a substantive article on how rawhides are made that shocked and educated thousands of dog owners. But though the article was seen, read by thousands of people and shared over 1 million times to date, rawhides are still being sold and bought in many places around the world today.

​In a bid to save dogs from what it believes to be toxic “raw” leather stick and to educate pet parents, especially the newbies, Planet Paws' article pointed out the following ugly truths about rawhides.

* A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “leather industry”, said Planet Paws.

* Rawhides have been repeatedly treated with chemical baths that includes a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming to strip away hair and fat attached to the hides. The outer layer of the hide becomes leather used for human items, while the inner layer is used for dog chews.

Rawhides are washed in different chemicals to preserve it and remove unwanted hair, fat and tissue. The result, experts say, is a toxic product that is harmful to dogs.

​* Rawhides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach to remove the smell of rotten leather.

* Rawhides are painted with artificial dyes and flavors or even a coat of titanium oxide to make them look nice on pet shelves. The toxic confection of chemicals and preservatives make for slow, low-dose poisoning according to thebark.com.

* Rawhides, when tested, have been found to have lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals. Glue of questionable nature is also used at times to hold the rawhide's shape and form, said Planet Paws.

Rawhides usually come with a printed warning as to how it could block a pet's esophagus or digestive tract leading to surgery or death. Planet Paws said this should already discourage dog owners from purchasing rawhides and feeding it to their dogs.

My vet advised me to buy a bone for my dog to chew on and hopefully remove some of the dental plaque. I decided to try a rawhide bone. I gave it to my dog to play with and I was delighted to see him chewing on it. I decided to check up on the progress after 15 minutes and saw that he had torn it to several smaller pieces so I quickly removed the remnants for fear of my dog actually ingest it! What a complete waste of money. I decided to buy those branded edible dental bones instead.